Gunner Stockton or Ryan Puglisi. That was the debate all offseason as Georgia football was gearing up to have a new full time starter after Carson Beck's departure to Miami (FL) this offseason.
The consensus all offseason was that Stockton would win this job pretty easily. He was the player to replace Beck after he was injured during the SEC Championship game against Texas and he also led the Bulldogs offense during their College Football Playoff game against Notre Dame.
Kirby Smart however made sure this was an open competition all offseason, but a few hours before their first game of the season Georgia released their depth chart and it is Stockton who is listed as the starting quarterback for Saturday's game.
True freshman Juan Gaston listed as the starter at right guard. UGASports readers knew this was coming last Sunday pic.twitter.com/58FjyTO8Ve
— Radi Nabulsi (@RadiNabulsi) August 30, 2025
Gunner Stockton named Georgia's starting quarterback
As mentioned, Smart made it known all offseason that Stockton and Puglisi were in an open compeition. This was the case at SEC Media Days when Stockton was one of the three Bulldogs who attended alongside Smart and throughout fall camp when Stockton seemed to be running away with the job.
But at the end of the day, Smart made the obvious choice to roll with his veteran QB as the new starting quarterback for Georgia.
Other notables on Georgia's depth chart include punter Brett Thorson who is listed as the starter for UGA's season opener. Thorson has been working back from an injury all offseason that he suffered during the SEC Championship game, and just last week it was unclear if he would be ready to play. But Thorson appears to be ready to go and begin his quest to be the nation's No. 1 punter this season.
It's also worth mentioning that true freshman offensive lineman Juan Gaston has been named the starter at right guard for Georgia. Transfer running back Josh McCray on the other hand is the second to last running back listed on UGA's depth chart. He likely will rise up the depth chart in the coming weeks, but the illness he's had for most of fall camp appears to be holding him back for this game.